CHAPTER 3
In the middle of the night, a man's hand covered her mouth and whispered, "Ifin' ye scream, I be just making it harder on ye. Now, where be yer money?" She nodded no. He said, "Ye'll be sorry fer denyin' me. Ye threw around a lot of gold in Bhaile. I know ye got more."
Sarah's hand slipped under the blanket and pulled the knife out slowly and held it to his throat. The man froze. She applied pressure on his neck so that he backed up and got off of her. She said, "Move and I'll slit your fucking throat! Stay on your knees!" She stood up and backed him out of the tent.
She kicked the human man in the crotch. He groaned. She asked the guy, "Are you alone? Usually your type, like to ride together in packs or two at a time. Where is your friend or did you want them to watch you die slowly and painfully?" She reaches down and grabs his hand. She squeezes hard on his wrist pressure point and the guy screams in agony.
Sarah sounded deadly and said, "Call them out or you're dead. One chance only."
The guy begged in pain. He called out, "Carrick! Come out boy or I'll be finished." Sarah noticed movement in the trees. A little boy about 10 years old walked out from behind a tree and timidly walked forward.
Sarah asked, "So you also corrupt little boys?"
The man said, "No, tis because, me son and I be desperate fer money."
Sarah said, "Then get a job like normal people and support your son and teach him properly, not learning to rip off people's money and preying on women."
He said, "There's be no work."
She said, "There is in the Goblin Kingdom. I over heard it in a pub the other day."
The man remorsefully said, "Ye twould help me after what I be doing?"
Sarah said, "If you stop and become an honest man it would be worth it and your life expectancy would last. You came damn close to death tonight. I'm trained to be able to defend myself against people like you. You got lucky tonight." She reached in her pocket and pulled out six gold coins. She coaxed the boy over to her. He hesitantly approached her.
She pressed the gold in his hand and said, "You're in charge of this money, do you understand?" The boy smiled and nodded.
Sarah said, "You make sure your father gets to the Goblin Kingdom tomorrow to get a job, ok? This money is to tide you over until he's paid. If he screws this up and I ever see him doing this again, I can promise you I'll kill him next time. Do you understand?"
The boy looked serious and said, "Yes, me lady." The guy stood up and hung his head looking down.
The guy said, "Thank ye fer the chance, me lady. Ye humble me with yer kindness." He turned and walked away with his son into the woods to find their stuff and move on. She went back to sleep and put her knife by her head once again.
—--
When morning came, she ate her breakfast, saddled her horse, packed up her bags, broke down her tent and used her pot to douse the fire. She put on her cloak with hood up, mounted Spirit and headed out in the direction of the town. Abigail told her that the town was a little bigger than Bhaile(Town) and it was called Àiteigin(Someplace). Abigail said the proprietor of the inn was named Darwin Gothwaite.
When she entered Àiteigin, it was around noon. She rode through the street looking around until she spotted the inn. She noticed many more people around in the streets, glancing at her. She got off her horse and unpacked her things leaving just the saddled horse tethered to the post outside.
She walked in with her baggage and went to the bar. She said to the bartender, "Can I get a room for the next three days?"
He eyed her suspiciously and said, "I guess. Money up front. Me rooms are two silvers and five coppers a day. We have a privy, pump and tub in the rooms. One meal a day included. Today is roasted chicken." Sarah gave him a gold coin. He gave her two silver and five coppers back in change.
She said, "Gavin and Abigail sent me here from Bhaile. I stayed with them for the last week. Which room?"
He gave her a key and said, "Number three. They be of a good kind."
Sarah said, "Yes they are. Where can I board my horse?"
He said, "Down the way to the left and then right. Talk to Efrin the blacksmith." She thanked him and took her things up to the room. Oh it was a much better room with a water pump, tub and a latrine. The fireplace had a large kettle next to it for heating water she figured. This was a more comfortable room. She settled in a bit and locked the room to go down and board her horse bringing the curry brush with her in a leather drawstring pouch.
She talked to Efrin and paid for three days to board Spirit. She walked back to the inn and noticed people still glancing at her. It was making her feel out of place. She went up to the bar and asked for an ale. Darwin said, "So, tell me, why would a woman, such as yerself be travelin' in men's clothing?"
Sarah said, "To be less of a target." Darwin nodded. She asked, "How did you know and is that why everyone is looking at me in the street?"
Darwin said, "Ye be a stranger is why they be lookin'. I be knowin' because no boy be havin' a pretty face with yer green eyes like that, but a female, a fae or both. Yer not from around here are ye?"
She said, "No, I'm from very very far away. I have no family so I'm just traveling to see new places and people." Darwin Gothwaite was about early thirties in age. He wasn't a bad looking man but very dark brown eyes, dark tan skin from being outside in the sun, black hair and a five o'clock shadow on his face.
He said, "Welcome to Àiteigin, me names Darwin Gothwaite, but Abigail and Gavin probably already told you that."
Sarah said, "Nice to meet you Darwin. I'm Sar."
Darwin asked, "Would ye like another ale? I think the chicken may be done. I'll check ifin' yer hungry fer lunch?" She smiled and nodded. He took her empty tankard and refilled it. He went to the back and came out with a delicious plate of potatoes, carrots and green beans with the roasted chicken. Sarah smiled and thanked him. She was hungrier than she thought.
After she ate, she went walking around town looking at all the stores and found a bakery shop. She smelled wonderful things wafting through the air from there. She went in and purchased a half dozen different pastries to try and a dozen lemon cookies. The lady bagged her up and Sarah headed back to the inn.
She sat down at the bar which had more patrons in it and pulled out a pastry. Darwin walked up and asked if she would like another ale. She asked for wine instead and he got her a tankard. She smiled and asked him, "Darwin, would you like one of my pastries from Jenny's Bakery?"
He smiled and said, "That's very nice and friendly of ya. Thank ye." He picked a cherry tart. He groaned when he bit into it and said, "Jenny be makin' the best baked goods." Sarah smiled.
She sat listening to the conversations going on around the room. One man was saying that the Fairy Kingdom was the stingiest to get paid your worth when working there. His friend said that there was a project of building a dam between the Goblin Kingdom and the Fairy Kingdom. He said it would create jobs and was starting soon.
Another conversation was about how the Dwarven Kingdom was at odds with the Centaur Kingdom over mineral rights to the lower hills on the mountain range around the mountains of their kingdom. They said the High King would not interfere and they needed to negotiate.
Another conversation was when an old woman was complaining about how she was commissioned to make a dress for the Fairy Princess, Emiline. She was instructed to make it a certain way, which she did but halfway in the middle she changed everything and caused her to change and seam rip the whole dress apart and start over and wouldn't compensate her. The man sitting with her said, that's just how the fae are and especially the Fairy Kingdom royals.
Sara waved to Darwin and went to her room and unpacked to get settled for a couple days. She took a relaxing bath and scrubbed everything. She dumped the water out a window into the alley and filled the tub again halfway to wash her hair. She got in a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt and stoked the fire. She ate her cheese and bread for dinner with a couple of cookies while reading the little ratty old book from front to back in bed with a cup of tea with honey. Eventually, she scooted down in bed and slept like a brick.
—--
The next day she did her laundry in the tub and strung her rope around the room to dry in front of the fireplace. As they dried she would repack them up. She would take a break and go down to visit, eat or get a drink.
When she left Àiteigin, she bought some cheese, another loaf of bread, and cookies for the road. The next town to travel to was called Loch Gorm (Blue Lake). It was a bit of a distance to get there. Darwin told her to be careful because it was even bigger of a town, but they had rougher people around there and to watch her back. He said it was because it was a mix of races there, not just humans. She thanked him for his kindness and said goodbye.
She shot another rabbit with her bow she kept on her back with the quiver. She gutted and skinned it right there on the way to find a place to camp for the night. She found a rock face with a stream flowing next to it, in an outcropping of trees. It gave her an advantage of facing outward and the back of her tent was protected, but by it's side it had a large boulder next to it and it would protect her on two sides. She popped up the tent, unloaded the horse and took off his tack putting it in the tent. She laid her bow by the place where she would make a pit. She found firewood, kindling, and rocks to rim the pit. She started a fire, by bringing a couple lighters and waterproof matches from her world. They were handy.
She got water from the stream and filled her bottles up, rinsed her rabbit and put the pot on to boil. She cut up the rabbit on a little slab of stone and put it in the pot with herbs and seasonings. She de-boned the meat after it boiled and set a bit aside for morning in a plastic baggie. She cut up the rest of the meat more, putting the meat back in the pot with rice, dried wild mushrooms and minced wild green onions she found looking for firewood. It smelled good. She used her frying pan to heat up some water for tea.
A man in a hooded cloak on a horse started coming towards her camp. She put her hand on her gun, taking off the safety at her hip, took her food off the fire and stood up with her bow ready. She pulled the hood up on her cloak and in a lower voice shouted, "That far enough! What do you want?"
The man put his hands up, in a sign of staying her. He said, "Stay yourself boy, I bear no ill will. I smelled your food and saw your fire. I was hoping to share your fire if possible because this is the best place to camp?" He stepped closer. She didn't move. He pulled his hood down and she'd know him anywhere. The pale blonde wild hair, the large pupil on his left eye and handsome face